Australia legend calls for three players to be dropped after Bangladesh humiliation as replacements named
Matthew Hayden has called for three players to be dropped and an overhaul of the batting order after Australia lost the first Test against Bangladesh by nine wickets.
Bangladesh chased down a nominal target of just 57 to win in Darwin, with former captain Mominul Haque scoring the final runs to secure their first-ever Test victory in Australia.
Australian captain Pat Cummins had won the toss and elected to bat, but his side were skittled for just 198 on day one.
Bangladesh scored 426 in reply to take a huge first-innings lead, with Australia's bowling and fielding both under-par.
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The Aussies were four down for 122 in the third innings, but a potentially Test career-saving knock of 104 from the under-pressure Cameron Green at least gave them something to bowl at.
Josh Hazlewood bowled Tanzid Hasan for a duck in the second over of Bangladesh's chase, but that was their only breakthrough.
Cummins, who elected not to bowl himself in the 14.2 overs that spanned the fourth innings, and the Australian selectors will now be under pressure to make changes for the second Test.
Speaking on Channel 7, legendary former Australia opener Hayden said that Australia's entire top three should be changed, with Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne both making way and Travis Head dropping down the order.
He also suggests that two all-rounders do not need to play, with Beau Webster and Cameron Green both picked for the first Test. Green's century is likely to put him in pole position to retain his spot if the selectors agree with Hayden's view.
And the 54-year-old went as far as naming which player deserves to be selected instead.
"You've got to say, 'Who are we, and where are we highlighting first?' Is it one of the openers, or is that number three spot?" Hayden said.
"The number three spot has been the big question mark. Marnus Labuschagne has been in that sort of form for two years. What's going to change overnight, not only when we go to Mackay, but come that first Test match of the Australian summer proper?
"What I would do, I think, is actually put Travis Head at number three. And then I would start to look for a refresh, and a re-fit, at the top of the order.
"I want some experience at the top. I want to see Matt Renshaw - and I've been saying this for at least 12 months - I think he is match-fit. I think the selectors knew what he was, but now I want to know what he actually is."
Hayden then suggested the return of Sam Konstas as another potential option, and said: "I don't like Alex Carey coming out at number five."
Konstas was a surprise pick for the 2024 Boxing Day Test in 2024, and smashed 60 off just 65 balls against India on debut - an innings which included a number of enterprising shots.
But the 20-year-old couldn't maintain that form, with bowlers exploiting his tendency to get out clean bowled.
He averages 16.30 across five Tests and didn't have a notably impressive Sheffield Shield season, but was selected in a Cricket Australia XI for a warm-up match against Bangladesh - where he only scored 1 - to indicate he is still in the selectors' thoughts.
Australia, meanwhile, opted to select Weatherald for the 2025/26 Ashes series ahead of Renshaw, who scored 499 runs in the Shield season at an average of 49.90.
The 30-year-old averages 29.31 at Test level and hasn't played in that format for Australia since February 2023, but did play in a series of white-ball games both during and after the T20 World Cup.
He has developed his leg spin and could prove to be an additional bowling option for captain Cummins if he returns to the Test side.
Ryan Smart